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MEDIA BACKGROUNDER

January 3, 2003

SETTING AND IMPLEMENTING ONTARIO'S AIR STANDARDS

The Ontario government is continuing to move forward on updating provincial air standards by consulting on the next 15 priority standards.

Setting Air Standards

The Ministry of the Environment sets two kinds of standards to protect air quality. Ambient air quality criteria (AAQC) are used to assess the general quality of the air. Point of impingement (POI) limits are used, primarily, to assess and manage direct local impacts from industrial and commercial sources on surrounding neighbourhoods and communities.

Information drafts documenting scientific information relevant to setting air standards for 15 priority substances were posted on the Environmental Registry on December 31, 2002. A priority air standard is a standard developed for a contaminant that is particularly toxic and/or is released in high volume from a number of sources. Information drafts are posted to give stakeholders an opportunity to review and comment on the science that will be used to develop the air standards and to provide additional information that they think the ministry should consider in setting the air standard. The next step will be to develop proposed numerical standards and post them for further public consultation.

The Standards Plan

Ontario's air standards are developed in accordance with the ministry's Standards Plan (1999). The ministry worked extensively with environmental groups and industry members to design an accessible and transparent process for developing air standards. The key steps in the standards plan are priority setting, risk assessment, risk management and public consultation to ensure that the full range of scientific issues and perspectives are considered in setting new standards.

The Standards Plan identified 145 air standards for review. Ministry efforts are focused on those contaminants that pose the greatest risk to human health and the environment. Standards for 70 high priority air pollutants have been developed or are currently under development. Air standards for another 75 contaminants have been reviewed and were found to be still stringent enough to protect human and environmental health.

Implementing Air Standards

As air standards are updated, Regulation 346 (General - Air Pollution) is amended to give standards the force of law.

Information Drafts for 15 Priority Air Standards

The substances covered by the information drafts are:

Acetone Acetonitrile Acrolein Cyclohexane Di(2_ethylhexyl) phthalate Di-n-octylphthalate Hexamethylene diisocyanate Hydrogen cyanide

Hydrogen fluoride Isopropanol Methane diphenyl diisocyanate Methyl isocyanate Phenol Toluene diisocyanate Vinyl chloride

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Contacts:
Diana Arajs
Minister's Office
(416) 314-6736

John Steele
Communications Branch
(416) 314-6666

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